Rich, Flaky Pie Dough
Makes enough dough to cover one 13 x 9 inch baking dish or six 12-ounce ovenproof baking dishes.
NOTE: We find that a combination of butter and shortening
delivers the best texture and flavor for pie pastry. Use a food
processor to cut the fat into the flour. Once the mixture resembles
coarse cornmeal, turn it into a bowl and add just enough ice water
to bring the dough together. If you like a bottom crust in your pot
pie, you can duplicate that soft crust texture by tucking any
overhanging pie dough down into the pan side rather than fluting
it.
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons chilled all-vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons ice-cold water
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mix flour and water in workbowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening; continue pulsing until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, keeping some butter bits size of small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice-cold water over mixture. Using rubber spatula, fold water into flour mixture. Then press down on dough mixture with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more cold water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into ball, then flatten into 4-inch disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes while preparing pie filling.
3. On floured surface, roll dough into 15 x 11-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. If making individual pies, roll dough about 1/8-inch thick and cut 6 dough rounds about 1 inch larger than pan circumference.
4. Lay dough over the warm pot pie filling, trimming dough to within 3/4 inch of pan flap. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with lip of pan and flute edges all around. Or, simply tuck overhanging dough down into pan side. Cut at least four 1-inch vent holes in large pot pie or one 1-inch vent hole in smaller pies (See figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for illustrations on preparing crust for baking.) Proceed with pot pie recipe.